R E V I E W

The Replacement Suspect

Universe | 2001 | 90 minutes
Directed by Marco Mak Chi-Sin
Written by Marco Mak Chi-Sin, Simon Loui Yu-Yeng, Ricky Fan Chun Fung, Angela Yu Wing Man

With Julian Cheung Chi-Lam, Roy Cheung, Kenny Bee

B A C K G R O U N D
director, in cinemas, recent and related films

Directed by Marco Mak, it's the fifth film by the long-time editor. His resume charts a slow course of improvement over the past two years (from the barely watchable Love Correction and the marginally interesting The Blood Rules in 2000, to the intriguing failure Cop on a Mission and the entertaining A Gambler's Story in 2001).

The film played briefly in Hong Kong cinemas in December 2001.

M O V I E

plot
The opening sequence follows two scenarios: cops who have an arms dealer under surveillance, and thieves who are breaking into a building. Tragic mishaps occur, and the three thieves seek shelter in a bar while waiting for one of them to recuperate from being shot. And, no, it doesn't make sense to me, either - why would they try to hide out in a bar instead of someplace dark and lonely, like an alleyway or a trash container? Because of some further improbable events (including the arms dealer having a drink in the bar), the police quickly surround the place and a hostage situation must be resolved.

performances
Most of the performers do their best but are sabotaged by the script. Having recently seen Christine Ng play an icy and sexy leader of assassins (A Taste of Killing and Romance), it was quite a change to see her portraying a different kind of calculating woman here - a waitress who will do whatever it takes to try and ensure her survival of the ordeal. Julian Cheung Chi Lam was a bit limited as the leader of the thieves; something was missing from his performance, but I'm not quite sure whether it was the shallowness of the script or the coldness of his character. Roy Cheung seesaws hysterically as one of the thieves, co-writer Simon Loui does not make a strong impression as the other thief, and Kenny Bee is quite cool as the arms dealer.

Michael Wong must have been told this was a comedy instead of a drama, because he sounds like a caricature of an overbearing and unfeeling police commander, in charge of the hostage situation. As a side note, it didn't really bother me that he delivered most of his lines in English, I just wish he had conveyed a more believable air to his lines. On the other hand, his scene with a television broadcaster in which he expresses himself quite obscenely was rather funny.

production
Director and editor Mak creates a fresh and pleasant sense of tension despite the over-used hostage scenario. The problem is that, having boxed the characters into one location, the filmmakers have little idea how best to exploit it. Some of the more interesting characters, such as the owner of the bar and the arms dealer, get short shrift as far as any exposition of their motivations, etc., while we are subjected to plenty of whining from the thieves and macho teeth-gnashing from police commander Michael Wong. The result is that the 90-minute running time feels longer than needed to tell the story.

And note: this hostage drama is *not* an action-filled movie. The blazing gun action is limited to just a few minutes of screen time (most of which is shown in the trailer).

Cinematographer was Daniel Chan Fai (Undercover Blues, Paramount Motel). The pulse-pounding, percussion heavy, and slightly familiar musical score was composed by Lincoln Lo Kin (all of Mak's previous films).

rating
Category IIB for explicit bloody violence and profanity.

D V D

look
Very good. The presentation is letterboxed; colors are saturated, flesh tones look natural, and the source print is very clean.

sound
Excellent, with superb deep bass and a wide, expansive sound field from the Cantonese DTS track. The Cantonese DD 5.1 audio track also sounded very good; a dubbed Mandarin DD 5.1 version is also included.

subtitles
The white removable English subtitles contain a fair number of mistakes. The subtitles remain on screen for the English dialogue. Also included are traditional and simplified Chinese subtitles.

features
Eight chapters can be selected from a video-clip menu. Stars' files (brief biography and film listing) are provided for Julian Cheung Chi-Lam, Michael Wong, and Simon Loui. The original theatrical trailer is included.

R E C O M M E N D A T I O N
buy, rent, or pass?

Rent. Low priority. Probably best for fans of the performers or those who want to watch the latest film from a promising director.

(Reviewed 02/13/02)

THIS DVD IS AVAILABLE AT HKFLIX.COM